What’s with all the self-doubt and anxiety in running I’ve been reading lately? I blame the ‘fair weather’ running season unofficially starting. Joey posted on his blog about how he thinks he’s going to fail or he doubts his abilities. Anxiety began stalking A Girl Runs Through It to cause forgetfulness and physical pain. Runner’s World featured an article with Kara Goucher and it went over her demons. I’ve been there. I’ve done that. I still do that. Hell, it slapped me up side the head a few days ago. What does everyone do with their fears and anxiety? A sticking point I have is dealing with the daunting size of a beautiful dream and goals.
The Beautiful Goal
We dream beautiful goals. It makes us happy. It aspires us to do something better. Unfortunately, the more we think of the whole process, the more daunting it appears. It’s easier to break that large beautiful goal down into smaller and quickly achievable goals. For my first marathon, I focused on each step and accomplishing each mile in Hal Higdon’s training. My goal for the first marathon wasn’t to hit a certain time. It was simply to finish the race and earn whatever finishing time I received. The last three marathons I did were to convince myself I can go the distance.
I have a new goal. I want to qualify for Boston under three hours. I need to chop off an hour and thirty-eight minutes off my time. There’s a lot to do. I feel overwhelmed by that time. I need to keep on believing and have faith in myself despite what everyone else tells me. Since Phila., I’ve been planning and breaking down the steps to get to Boston. I’m designing, building, and honing the tool to get myself there. Myself.
I spent a couple of months designing a plan to get there. to achieve my dream, I need to lose the unhealthy weight, get stronger, be injury free, run faster, and run smarter. I’ll be focusing on each pound I need to eliminate and getting stronger this year. Because of the lightened load on my body and a stronger system, I have a feeling that I’ll finish Chicago with another PR.
The first major stop before Boston is the Illinois Marathon. It’s to remind myself to enjoy the event and enjoy the run. Running shouldn’t be a burden. It should be joy and happiness.
The tool needs to honed. I don’t know what the details are for this next step except seeking advice and coaching on running faster and smarter. I need to focus on the here and now before worrying about other aspects of getting to Boston.
How is everyone else breaking down their goals into smaller steps?
After a running a fun Shamrock Shuffle in slush and snow, I decided to give back this year. I guess this is my way of saying thank you to the volunteers before me. Events such as the Chicago Shamrock Shuffle run smoothly with the help of volunteers at every phase. They help set up the race, distribute bibs, provide race day assistance, pass out hydration, and more. It makes the day exciting and fun for everyone that is participating in the race.
